No. 98.1 87 
Chess— Bromus secalinus. July 6. <A fair stool had 211 heads, 
and an average head 18 seed. The number of seed, therefore, esti- 
mated at 3,798. 
Corn Chammomile— Anthemis arvensis. July 6. A fair sample 
had 151 seed to a flower and 48 flowers to a stalk. The plants had 
from 1 to 10 stalks. The seed can be estimated at from 7,000 to 
70,000. 
Plantain— Plantago major. July 12. A vigorous plant had 8 
flower spikes. One of these, not the largest, had 561 flowers. The 
number of seed to the plant can be estimated at 4,488. 
Pig weed— Chenopodium Album. August 29. An average sized 
plant had 28 branches; one branch had 21 branchlets; an average 
branchlet had 13 flower spikes; an average flower spike 108 seed. 
The number of seed computed to this plant is therefore 825,552. 
Purslane— Portulacca oleracea. September 28. <A vigorous plant 
had 9 principal branches ; an average branch had 15 branchlets; an 
_ average branchlet 212 seed capsules: one capsule had 75 seeds. The 
number of seeds to this plant can therefore be computed at 2,146,500. 
IMPLEMENT ‘I'RIALS. 
But few trials with field implements were made. One on April 
17th of a Post & Sharp plow sulkey, presented to the Station by the 
makers. The control over the plow was very efficient, the sulkey 
working as well when the plow was set to do poor work as when hung 
for better work. The furrows were cut from two to eight inches deep, 
and of various widths, and were all cut as designed. Pebbles or small 
boulders in the soil offered no obstruction, the plow either turning 
them out or else passing over or to one side of them and at once en- 
tering the soil. ‘he soil beneath the plow sole was left soft, and so 
far as could be determined by watching the horses, the draught of the 
plow appeared less when attached to the sulkey than when run inde- 
pendently. 
On May 18th a North-western corn planter was given us. We were 
unable to use this on the field, but careful trial showed it to be a re- 
liable tool for dropping corn. Its defects, if it be a defect, is common 
to this class of planters; it does not firm the soil over the planted seed. 
August 8th four wooden forks were received from Alba Kendall of 
Altay, N. Y.° These are well-made tools, very desirable for handling 
barley straw and for use in the stable, the wooden tines being far safer 
than an ordinary pitchfork. 
On September 16th tested Ansley’s potato digger. The soil was 
very hard; some of the potatoes had green tops, in other rows the 
tops were dead. The draught as shown by the dynamometer was from 
350 to 600 pounds. The work done was in every respect superior. 
Every potato was left on the surface, and in the case of the green 
topped plants, the potatoes left adhering to the tops and uncovered. 
We were this year kept too busily employed in the details of organi- 
zation to make extended trials of implements used. Remington plows, 
presented by the manufacturers, were used upon several of our fields 
